1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fishing rods and reels, and more particularly to a new and improved fishing rod and reel combination incorporating means for preventing submersion of the rod and reel in water or the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Practically all fishermen have been vexed at one time or another by the problem of accidentally dropping a fishing rod into the water and having the rod quickly sink below the surface of the water, making retrieval difficult, if not impossible. Although various prior art solutions to this longstanding problem have been proposed in the past, they have been, until the present invention, less than entirely satisfactory. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,011 discloses a fishing rod having a hollow handle for housing a knife and a buoyant covering on the handle of the rod ostensibly to keep it afloat. However, because of the weight of the rod and reel and the fact that water can easily seep into the hollow handle, the buoyant covering must be unreasonably thick thus rendering this patented fishing rod too bulky and difficult to handle.
Other prior devices merely provide means for locating the submerged fishing rod. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,849 discloses a housing which may be attached to a fishing rod. Should the combination sink, the water will eventually dissolve glue holding the housing together thereby releasing a float member which rises to the surface to indicate the location of the sunken rod. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,713,031 discloses a housing attachable to a fishing rod and which includes a spring biased "bobber" captured within the housing (and attached thereto via a spooled line) by a water dissolvable material, e.g., an aspirin tablet. If and when this combination sinks below the surface of the water, the aspirin tablet is caused to dissolve thereby releasing the spooled line and enabling the "bobber" to float to the surface to indicate the submerged rod's location.
Finally, devices are known for housing a plurality of conventional fishing rod and reel combinations wherein the housing device generally is fabricated of nonsubmersible material. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,366 shows a fishing rod carrier comprising a rigid body of buoyant material, e.g. foamed thermoplastic, wherein the carrier includes a series of tubular members for housing a corresponding number of fishing rods. However, this device is totally ineffective in preventing unintended submersal of the various fishing rods after they have been removed from the carrier.